Infection and Infection Control

Sepsis refers to infection, while the prefix “a'' means “the absence of.” In other words, asepsis is defined as the absence of pathogens.

Now, there are two basic types of asepsis: medical asepsis and surgical asepsis. We will focus on medical asepsis, which is also known as “clean technique”.

These are practices that kill some microorganisms to prevent them from spreading. Medical asepsis includes sanitization, antisepsis, and disinfection.

Sanitization refers to cleaning practices and techniques that physically remove microorganisms. These include hand washing and cleaning of clients’ personal equipment, clothing, and linens.

Now, there are several things that you should know in order to maintain a sanitary environment. The most important one is hand hygiene which includes hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer.

Always wash your hands before meals, after using the bathroom, before and after any contact with your clients. Don’t forget to wash your hands after touching your own or your client’s body fluids, such as urine, feces, blood, saliva, vomitus, or genital discharge.

Next, when coughing or sneezing, always cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow. Teach your clients to do the same.

Next up are personal items. Each client should have their own soap, cups, toothbrushes, and towels.

Personal equipment should be regularly cleaned to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Also, when cleaning the room and objects, make sure to not stir up the dust.

In other words, avoid shaking dirty linens, and use a moistened cloth or mop to wipe dust. When disposing dirty linens to laundry bins, keep them away from your uniform.

This way, you will prevent the contamination of your uniform, and subsequently, you will prevent the spread of microorganisms.

Also, regularly empty the garbage, because trash is a perfect environment for pathogens to grow. Finally, have good personal hygiene and assist your clients to achieve the same!

Next, we have antisepsis which is the process of killing microorganisms or limiting their growth on the skin and other living tissues.

Chemicals used in antisepsis are called antiseptics and the most common ones include rubbing alcohol and iodine. Antiseptics can be used for hand scrubbing; treating cuts, wounds, and burns; and preoperative skin cleaning.

Moving on to disinfection. This refers to the process of killing microorganisms on objects that are commonly in contact with your clients, such as overbed tables, wheelchairs, stretchers, urinals, bedpans, and blood pressure cuffs.

It’s important to note that disinfection cannot destroy spores, which are highly resistant forms of microorganisms that are difficult to kill using typical cleaning agents.

Chemicals used in disinfection are called disinfectants. In contrast to antiseptics, disinfectants are much stronger; therefore, they are not used on the skin!

Moreover, in order to prevent skin irritation, you should always wear household or utility gloves while handling disinfectants.

As the nurse, you will participate in medical asepsis as part of your daily client care. It is important to remember to disinfect equipment you will use with multiple clients between uses, like, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, or even your stethoscope.

This helps to reduce the risk of transferring microorganisms from one client to another. Remember to make sure that you are cleansing equipment according to your organization’s policy since some disinfectants can damage certain types of electronics or plastics that make them unsuitable for use.

Finally, be sure to store disinfectants and other cleaning solutions in clearly marked containers in the designated area on your floor.

Since these products can be harmful to skin surfaces, it’s important they are not confused for other products like bed bath cleansing wipes or hand sanitizer.

All right, as a quick recap... Medical asepsis, which is also known as “clean technique,” covers practices that reduce the number and spread of microorganisms.

These include sanitization, antisepsis, and disinfection. Sanitization refers to cleaning practices and techniques that are used to physically remove microorganisms.

Antisepsis is the process of killing microorganisms or limiting their growth on the skin and objects. Disinfection is the process of killing microorganisms on objects that are commonly in contact with your clients.

As the nurse, you will participate in medical asepsis as part of your daily client care. It is important to remember to disinfect equipment you will use with multiple clients between uses.

Be sure to clean equipment according to your organization’s policies to avoid damage and finally, make sure disinfectants and other cleaning solutions are in clearly marked packaging in the dedicated storage area of your floor to avoid inappropriate use.